Page 23 - Donald Trump Administration

White House proposes new rules for colleges to gain funding advantage

The "Compact for Academic Excellence" offers universities federal loans, grants, research funding, scholar visas, and tax benefits if they follow new Trump administration rules

Trump admin asks judge to pause Harvard funding case amid govt shutdown

Judge Allison Burroughs ruled that Harvard grant terminations were unlawful over antisemitism claims, but final judgment is pending with a status report due by Oct 3

Supreme Court lets Lisa Cook remain as Federal Reserve governor for now

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed Lisa Cook to remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now, declining to act on the Trump administration's effort to immediately remove her from the central bank. In a brief unsigned order, the high court said it would hear arguments in January over Republican President Donald Trump's effort to force Cook off the Fed board. The court will consider whether to block a lower-court ruling in Cook's favour while her challenge to her firing by Trump continues. The high-court order was a rare instance of Trump not quickly getting everything he wants from the justices in an emergency appeal. Separately, the justices are hearing arguments in December in a separate but related legal fight over Trump's actions to fire members of the boards that oversee other independent federal agencies. The case concerns whether Trump can fire those officials at will. But a second issue in the case could bear directly on Cook's fate: whether federal judges have the ...

Trump admin puts on hold $18 bn in funding for New York City infra projects

President Donald Trump's administration, citing the government shutdown, said Wednesday it was putting a hold on roughly USD 18 billion to fund a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey and an extension of the city's Second Avenue subway. The White House budget director, Russ Vought, said on X that the step was taken due to the Republican administration's belief the spending was based on unconstitutional diversity, equity and inclusion principles. In a statement, Trump's Transportation Department said it had been reviewing whether any unconstitutional practices were occurring in the two massive infrastructure projects but that the shutdown, which began Wednesday, had forced it to furlough the staffers conducting the review. The suspension of funds is likely meant to target Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York, whom the White House is blaming for the impasse. He said the funding freeze would harm commuters. Obstructing these projec

Prolonged US govt shutdown could impact travel plans amid flight delays

If a US government shutdown goes on long enough, it could throw a wrench in travel plans, potentially leading to longer airport wait times, flight delays and even cancellations. The shutdown began Wednesday after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to reach a deal to continue funding government services and operations. That means a vast majority of employees who keep US airports and air travel running are working without pay until the government reopens. The longer a shutdown drags on, the more likely we are to see longer TSA lines, flight delays and cancellations, national parks in disrepair and unnecessary delays in modernising travel infrastructure," Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the US Travel Association, warned in a statement. Here's what to know about the shutdown and its potential impacts on your travel plans: Flying during a shutdown Travellers can still fly despite the lapse in funding, but during a prolonged shutdown, travellers should plan ahead for potenti

Trump to meet Xi Jinping in four weeks, vows support for US soybean farmers

Trump says US soybean farmers are being hurt as China isn't buying for "negotiating" reasons and vows to use tariff revenue to support them

Who works, who waits: What the latest US government shutdown means

The US government shutdown affects over 750,000 federal employees, halting some services, delaying salaries, and raising questions about the impact on essential programmes and daily life

US government shuts down after Congress fails to cut deal on funding

The shutdown came as both Republicans and Democrats are locked in a stalemate, insisting the other would be responsible if Congress fails to extend government funding

Trump sets new tariffs on lumber, wood products in bid to boost US industry

Trump said the planned actions will 'strengthen supply chains, bolster industrial resilience, create high-quality jobs and increase domestic capacity utilization for wood products'

Trump, Hegseth to meet hundreds of military leaders amid rising speculation

President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth plan to address hundreds of US military officials in person Tuesday after the Pentagon suddenly asked top commanders from around the world to convene at a base in Virginia without publicly revealing the reason. The gathering at the Marine Corps base in Quantico near Washington has fuelled intense speculation about the purpose and value of summoning such a large number of generals and admirals to one place, with many stationed in more than a dozen countries that include conflict zones in the Middle East and elsewhere. Meetings between top military brass and civilian leaders are nothing new. But experts say the scale of the gathering, the haste with which it was called and the mystery surrounding it are particularly unusual. The notion that the secretary is going to talk to the generals and give them his vision for running the department and maybe also for strategy and organisation that's perfectly reasonable, said Mark ...

US escalates scrutiny of Harvard with debarment move, funding in jeopardy

Harvard has 20 days to appeal the decision, but it could totally lose access to research grants, student aid and government contracts if the HHS debarment is upheld

US Commerce secy signals 'significant' H-1B visa changes before 2026

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said there will be a significant number of changes in the H1B visa process before February 2026, when the new fee of USD 100,000 goes into effect, as he described as just wrong the idea of inexpensive tech consultants coming into the country and bringing their families. The Trump administration this month announced a one-time fee of USD 100,000 for new H1B work visas, an order that will impact Indian professionals looking to work in the US on the temporary visas. Standing behind US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office when the H1B proclamation was signed, Lutnick had then said that the USD 100,000 will be an annual fee for all H1B visas, including renewals and first-time applicants. Amid widespread panic and chaos, the Trump administration clarified that the new fee requirement for H1B visas will not apply to current visa holders and is a one-time payment applicable only to new petitions. This procedure and process goes into effect in Febru

Trump admin opens more land for coal, offers $625 mn for plant upgrades

The Trump administration said Monday it will open 13 million acres of federal lands for coal mining and provide USD 625 million to recommission or modernize coal-fired power plants as President Donald Trump continues his efforts to reverse the year-long decline in the US coal industry. Actions by the Energy and Interior departments and the Environmental Protection Agency follow executive orders Trump issued in April to revive coal, a reliable but polluting energy source that's long been shrinking amid environmental regulations and competition from cheaper natural gas. Environmental groups denounced announcement, which come as the Trump administration has clamped down on renewable energy, including freezing permits for offshore wind projects, ending clean energy tax credits and blocking wind and solar projects on federal lands. Under Trump's orders, the Energy Department has required fossil-fuelled power plants in Michigan and Pennsylvania to keep operating past their retirement date

US govt shutdown draws closer as congressional leaders head to White House

Democratic and Republican congressional leaders are heading to the White House for a meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday in a late effort to avoid a government shutdown, but both sides have shown hardly any willingness to budge from their entrenched positions. If government funding legislation is not passed by Congress and signed by Trump on Tuesday night, many government offices across the nation will be temporarily shuttered and non-exempt federal employees will be furloughed, adding to the strain on workers and the nation's economy. Republicans are daring Democrats to vote against legislation that would keep government funding mostly at current levels, but Democrats so far have held firm. They are using one of their few points of leverage to demand that Congress take up legislation to extend health care benefits. The meeting is a first step, but only a first step. We need a serious negotiation, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in an interview Sunday on NBC's

Asian markets edge higher as investors eye possible US govt shutdown

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan firmed 0.4 per cent, to be up almost 4 per cent for the month

US to revoke Colombian President Gustavo Petro's visa for 'reckless' acts

The move marks an escalation in tensions between the two countries since US President Donald Trump "decertified" Colombia this month in America's fight against drug trafficking

US soybean farmers face crisis as China halts purchases amid trade tensions

The leafy soybean plants reach Caleb Ragland's thighs and are ripe for harvest, but the Kentucky farmer is deeply worried. He doesn't know where he and others like him will sell their crop because China has stopped buying. Beijing, which traditionally has snapped up at least a quarter of all soybeans grown in the US, is in effect boycotting them in retaliation for the high tariffs President Donald Trump has imposed on Chinese goods and to strengthen its hand in negotiations over a new overall trade deal. It has left American soybean farmers fretting over not only this year's crop but the long-term viability of their businesses, built in part on China's once-insatiable appetite for US beans. This is a five-alarm fire for our industry, said Ragland, who leads the American Soybean Association trade group. The situation might even be enough to test farmers' loyalty to Trump, although he still enjoys strong support throughout rural America. If no deal is reached soon, they hope the ...

South Korea has asked Trump to be 'peacemaker' with North Korea: FM Hyun

South Korea's president has asked President Donald Trump to become a peacemaker and use his leadership to get North Korea to talks to reduce military tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the South's top diplomat said Friday. Trump welcomed the request from President Lee Jae-myung and he expressed his willingness to be engaged with North Korea again, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said in an interview with The Associated Press. There was no immediate word from the White House. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met three times as North Korea was building a nuclear weapons stockpile, which Kim views as key to the country's security and his continued rule of the northeast Asian country. There were two summits in Singapore in June 2018, and in Vietnam in February 2019, where Trump and Kim disagreed about US-led sanctions against the North. A third meeting that year at the border between the two Koreas failed to salvage their nuclear talks -- and Kim has since shunned any diplomacy with t

US preparing for potential drone strikes on drug targets in Venezuela

Such plans could mark an escalation after US military strikes destroyed at least three small boasts near the Venezuelan coast in recent weeks, likely killing all individuals on board

Donald Trump asks US Supreme Court to limit birthright citizenship

Trump is seeking to jettison the understanding that the Constitution's 14th Amendment confers citizenship on virtually everyone born on US soil